Top doctors push for $116k pay rise

The highest paid doctors in the NSW would get a massive pay increase of more than $116,000 each, should the Minns government grant a blanket 30 per cent wage increase in one year.

The highest paid doctors in the NSW public health system would get a massive pay increase of more than $116,000 each, should the Minns government grant a blanket 30 per cent wage increase over one year.

Doctors in hospitals across the state walked off the job for the second day of a three-day strike on Wednesday, which resulted in the cancellation of 614 elective surgeries and more than 4400 outpatient appointments. Around 445 cancer patients had their chemotherapy appointments cancelled, less than expected after several rebookings.

Exclusive analysis of NSW Health workplace data shows a 30 per cent pay rise for nearly 2000 of the highest paid doctors in the system would cost the budget more than $231.4 million. There are currently more than 15,000 full time equivalent doctors working in the NSW Health system.

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives and medical staff are pictured outside St George Hospital in Kogarah to protest the NSW government's working conditions. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

The Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) are demanding a 30 per cent pay increase for all staff, which they originally requested over one year, with three per cent in the years following. They later said they would accept the 30 per cent over “a reasonable” period of time.

At an eleventh hour meeting between union officials, Premier Chris Minns and Health Minister Ryan Park on Monday evening, the union offered to call off the strike in return for an immediate 10 per cent pay increase backdated to June while negotiations continued.

This request was rejected, however the government offered to separately negotiate a deal for junior doctors, who earn a base salary as little as $79,000 acknowledging their pay was “not commensurate” to their skills.

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives and medical staff are pictured outside St George Hospital in Kogarah to protest the NSW government's working conditions. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

The Minns government has estimated the total cost of the claims for all doctors including wages and conditions will come to $11 billion. In addition to the 30 per cent increase, they are also seeking a 50-400 per cent increase in penalty rates, full salary packaging, reimbursement for childcare costs, free opal cards during the day as well as increased pay for on-call arrangements.

There are nearly 2000 doctors who earn an average salary of more than $387,000. This figure includes the award rate of more than $251,000 plus a private practice allowance and a 17.4 per cent special allowance.

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives and medical staff are pictured outside St George Hospital in Kogarah to protest the NSW government's working conditions. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

For each of those senior doctors to receive a 30 per cent pay increase, this would result in an additional $116,000 pay bump. A ten per cent increase would give the most senior doctors a $38,700 pay bump in one year, which would cost the budget $77.1 million for less than 2000 doctors.

In comparison the average salary of a full time medical intern is more than $101,000 including a base salary of $79,000 plus allowances. A 30 per cent increase for the more than 1200 interns would result in a more than $30,000 pay bump each, costing the budget $36.4 million.

Doctors have warned the public health system is at breaking point, with burnt out doctors often working up to 16 hour shifts without a break and not being paid for overtime despite working excessive hours.

ASMOF executive director Andrew Holland said the union was open to the 30 per cent increase being phased in over a “number of years” but refused to consider a different pay rise for more junior doctors.

“This is about making sure we can attract and retain the doctors needed to keep the public health system running. Right now, that system is hanging by a thread,” he said.

“NSW hospitals are chronically understaffed. Doctors are working 16-hour back-to-back shifts, covering multiple roles, with barely any rest. They’re exhausted. They’re burnt out. And they’re not being replaced.

“We will not agree to any cynical attempts to divide and conquer our membership by giving pay parity to some and leaving others behind the rest of Australia. Our members won’t have it.”

Health Minister Ryan Park accused ASMOF of “holding a gun” to the government after knocking back two weeks of intensive negotiations to improve the pay of junior doctors.

“We are willing to give this everything we can, but the union also has to come to the party, and we can’t do this with a gun to our head,” he said.

“I’m not going to apologise to anyone for trying to resolve and focus on those in the workforce who are paid the least.

“That is where a lot of the doctors are, that is where their careers are built, that is where the lowest wages are and that is, to be frank, where we continue and where we’ve had in the past, significant challenges about the length of hours they work.”

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. Picture: Christian Gilles / NewsWire

According to NSW Health data shared with The Daily Telegraph, the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (LHD) has been the worst affected by the strike with 1290 day patient appointments rescheduled or due to be rescheduled, followed by 624 appointments in the Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and 534 appointments within the Sydney LHD.

Health authorities estimated 3000 doctors walked off the job on Tuesday and eight locum doctors have been hired in metro Sydney to fill gaps left due to industrial action, offering wages of about $180 an hour for a junior doctor.

NSW Health Deputy Secretary Matthew Daly. Photo by Gaye Gerard / NewsWire

Appointments for regional and rural patients have been cancelled in advance to prevent unnecessary travel and wait times, while 33 out of 34 closed beds were emergency department short stay beds.

NSW Health Deputy Secretary Matthew Daly said despite the action, the system was still operating at about 92 per cent in terms of care delivery – which was still above the national benchmark of 90 per cent.

However, Mr Park warned the system was still under “incredible strain” and the impact of cancellations and re-bookings would carry over into the coming days and weeks, well beyond the last day of scheduled industrial action on Thursday.